Business

Businesses in Iriga happy amid intense poll rivalry

IRIGA CITY — If businessmen in other cities and municipalities are annoyed by the constant stream of solicitations from opposing candidates in this year’s elections, those in Iriga City are said to be having a different twist.

Apparently, feuding politicians here are careful not to offend the sensibilities of the business sector and have thus refrained from flooding local traders with requests for financial support, especially if they are already identified as supporters of the opposing camp.

This was learned from one Iriga-based businessman whose family runs a major construction company in Camarines Sur.

According to him, fundraisers from the respective political camps are more careful in approaching those they wish to seek additional funding in the face of the intense rivalry among the political factions that have developed in the locality.

The respective competing camps prefer to ask for some monetary aid from businessmen who are already known to be supportive to them.

Another hardware owner said that the various political camps involved have shown more importance to their friends in the business community being their benefactors and financiers.

The business community, on the other hand, is also watching out for their own interest by also donating to candidates that they may not personally favor. This is because the entrepreneurs wanted to obtain a certain kind of “protection” once the not-so-favored candidates get elected into office.

“Who knows? The winds could change direction and they (apparently weak candidates) could win,” an operator of a small printing press and photo copying center said.

“At least, they cannot say we did not also help them,” he said. Placing bets on all sides of the political battlefield appears to be a way for businessmen here to make sure they will not face disfavor from whoever wins the election.

Four groups are battling for political supremacy in this city. One is led by Engr. Ronald Felix “Ganggang” Alfelor (Liberal Party), brother of the incumbent mayor Madelaine Alfelor-Gazmen; another is bannered by Emmanuel “Nonokoy” AlfelorJr.(Nationalist People’s Coalition), son of the late former Mayor Manuel Alfelor (who happens to be the brother of the late and former Congressman Ciriaco Alfelor, father of Ganggang and Madeleine).

The other groups in this four-cornered fight are led by Jose “Jun” Villanueva, son of the late former Mayor Jose Villanueva, and Atty. Mariano Trinidad, a perennial candidate. jasonbneola

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Comments from the Readers

bottes cuir homme moto: bottes cuir homme moto...
Exciting insights, you should take into account doing a podcast on business and marketing and advertising.... View Post

Louis Vuitton Outlet Online: Louis Vuitton Outlet Online...
Cannot believe the naive comments. You go and visit these places and you will see exactly what having this sort of communication means to the community. Alerts for all sorts of disasters... View Post

Theanna: I feel sad for young Kisha and her pretty picture, spoiled by a tirade of "the political monstrosity obtaining (sic) in our country..." And it's you, (writer with no name) not her, who "virtually hurled a challenge..."
I'm not a professional photographer but I know a lot about it. If this was supposed to be a sunset, where is the sun? If you called it "cogon grass with flowers" that would have been more appropriate. If the picture was enhanced, it was overdone and unrealistic. View Post

Theanna: Thanks Judge for that timely and alarming info on the country's postal service. I thought that by now, things are much better than when I was there.
May I add a few cents worth of fond remembrance of the late fabulous Fr. James Reuter, SJ? I never met him but my brothers and male relatives were all Ateneans and Fr.Reuter's name was often mentioned at our house. When I heard that Roxanne of Cyranno de Bergerac was being played by one of the handsomest guys in school, I had to see it.
Also, my brother told us about the time our father and he met him on Ateneo Ave. After exchanging greetings, he asked father, " Is he your eldest son?" My father replied, "Oh no, my eldest son is a daughter." The whole family burst into tearful laughter. View Post

Theanna: Glad that you're back, Mr. Kenkoy. Missed you and my Bikol language lessons. My native dialect sounds foreign to me now.
Kenkoy was my favorite pinoy komiks but I was caught reading American Archie when I was supposed to be following a book discussion in class. View Post

antonio pena: What a blissfull story, Thanks be to God. Happy New Year Sir,
May our Lord God Jesus Christ be with us all always.
Only God knows our destiny. View Post

Theanna: Thanks for the above concerns. I thought I was the only one who sensed something odd, since I read the news printed under the Business section on Nov.15. I posted a comment, after much deliberation, on Nov. 17 re the offensive word in the headline.
My simple arithmetic doesn't add up to the expected results of this huge 3billion peso project. I feel like the child in Hans Christian Andersen's story of "The Emperor's New Clothes".
I can't figure out how the people there can generate 100 tons of garbage a day. View Post

Pastor Dan: Can we rely on the government to be able to address the perennial problem of hunger and malnutrition among marginalized children ? Your guess is as good as mine...
I just thought we could be more introspective with the developmental role of privately funded NGOs.
The NGOs can play a crucial role in addressing this issue... more so if the present dispensation manifest some tangible support for them... View Post

traqy: Wow! This will bring longterm economic opportunity to Naga City. Thus, the city will be more self-reliant and self-sustainable as power supply will be rarely disrupt even in times of natural disaster. More BPOs might operate in the city as the confidence on power supply is high. Good work Mayor John Bongat! View Post